Denmark vs Iceland: Social spending as share of GDP
Denmark
1.1%
in 2021
Iceland
1.0%
in 2021
Denmark rank
6th
Iceland rank
9th
Social spending as share of GDP over time
- Denmark
- Iceland
How they compare
Denmark currently reports 1.1% against 1.0% in Iceland, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes Denmark's figure about 1.2 times Iceland's.
Across all 32 years both countries report, Denmark has been ahead every year.
Denmark ranks 6th and Iceland ranks 9th of 42 countries.
Denmark has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.2% | 0.5% | 0.7% | Denmark |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.4% | Denmark |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 0.7% | 0.7% | Denmark |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 0.3% | Denmark |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher social spending as share of gdp, Denmark or Iceland?
- Denmark, at 1.1% against 1.0% in Iceland as of 2021.
- What is the difference in social spending as share of gdp between Denmark and Iceland?
- 0.1%, with Denmark ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Iceland?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2021.
- How do Denmark and Iceland rank globally for social spending as share of gdp?
- Denmark ranks 6th and Iceland ranks 9th of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in other social policy programs.